BenQ V2200 monitor sports 10, 000, 000:1 contrast ratio

BenQ is releasing 9 new LCD monitors ranging in size from 18.5 and 24 inches and boasting an extreme dynamic contrast ratio of 10, 000, 000:1. The V series will consists of 4 21.5 inch monitors, 2 18.5 inch and 2 24 inch monitors and 1 23 inch monitor. The first monitor to be released (initially in Taiwan) will be the 21.5 inch V2200, sporting features like 1080p resolution, 5 ms response time, a 160 degree viewing angle and an extremely thin 15 mm form factor. Connectivity options will include a VGA and DVI slot, as well as HDMI 1.3 and headphone jacks on others. All of the monitors will ship in Taiwan this month and next with the exception of the 23 inch model which will ship later this year. All monitors will ship internationally in June. BenQ still hasn't announced pricing for any of the models.

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Netflix Watch Instantly going 1080p, 5.1-channel surround sound

Netflix will add 1080p video streaming along with 5.1-channel surround sound audio streaming to its Netflix Watch Instantly service in 2010, according to ZDNet. The video streaming service already streams 720p content to a variety of devices including game consoles, Blu-ray players, PCs, laptops and virtually anything else with an internet connection.

S1Digital outs a 100 disc Blu-ray disc changer

As Blu-ray content becomes more popular in the average household, loose discs present the same messy problem as do DVDs and video games. A disc removed from the player never seems to end up back in the proper case. With the S1Digital BDC 100 Blu-ray Disc Changer the problem is moot. The unit lets you store and playback up to 100 Blu-ray discs via a connection to any digital media center running Windows 7 or Vista. The unit, which ships with My Movies software, enables you to browse through movies and their respective cover art as well as rip movies to Windows Home Server. It connects to your PC via USB 2.0. Shipping now, the 100 Disc Blu-ray Changer costs $1500.

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AAXA L1 laser-based pico projector shipping February 12

If you're looking for an ultra-portable pico projector, consider the AAXA L1, a laser-diode pico projector measuring 4 by 2 by <1 inches. The new laser-based pico projector doesn't require manual focusing because it doesn't utilize a lamp for brightness, though the laser pumps out 20 lumens. It also can project images on curved surfaces and will push out a 50-inch image at max with 800 x 600 pixels.

Inside is 160 MB of storage space with full media playback capabilities. A port for a USB-based external drive is also available and a 2 GB thumb drive is included with the $599 purchase price. Other features of note include a 90 minute battery life and a 6 ounce mass.

The AAXA L1 laser diode pico projector is shipping February 12.

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TVSnob monthly roundup for January 2010

Blu-ray

Gaming Systems

Xbox Live to get live ESPN sports in 2010?

HDTV

Home Theater A/V

LCD TV

Media Streamers

PVR & DVR

Mvix MX-880HD PVR features 2 TB hard drive, Torrent client

Plasma

Projectors

Epson PowerLite Z8050WNL sports 7000 lumens of brightness

Remote Controls

L5 Remote renders the iPhone a universal remote with custom UI

Web TV

Netflix coming to the Nintendo Wii? Should "work out over time"

Mvix MX-880HD PVR features 2 TB hard drive, Torrent client

MvixUSA has launched the ULTIO Pro MX-880HD, its latest PVR-based media player. The feature-packed player include 1080p media playback with support for H.264, MKV, Dixv HD, MOV, VC-1 and FLV media codecs. The MX-880HD also includes an optional 2TB hard drive for storing movies, music and pictures, or alternatively for supporting an included Torrent client with NAS features. The unit will record TV shows from cable or satellite and supports time shift and scheduled recording.

Other features of note include optional 802.11n capability, samba server support, and a UPnP implementation. Available for pre-order now, the ULTIO Pro MX-880HD will cost $169 without a hard disk drive or $389 with the 2TB drive. The units are expected to ship in the first week of February.

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Samsung to begin cranking out 55-inch 3D LED HDTVs

Samsung has announced it will start producing 3D HDTV panels for LCD and LED TVs in the 40-, 46- and 55-inch display sizes. The panels will utilize True 240 Hz technology and a 20 percent improvement in response time rendering smoother 2D performance and more natural 3D renderings. Of course, all of the panels will required the use of active shutter glasses--one of two things (the other being price) that are currently holding the advancement of the 3D HDTV market back.

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46-inch BeoVision 200 Hz LED HDTV coming in April

High-end HDTV maker Bang & Olufsen has announced the BeoVision 10-46, basically a 46-inch version of its 40-inch BeoVision 10. With edge-lit LED backlighting, the BeoVision 10-46 features a 200 Hz refresh rate and a brushed aluminum frame. Look for it to hit Europe in April likely priced between $10, 000 and $20, 000.

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Oppo BDP-80 Blu-ray player only $289

Oppo isn't known for low-cost Blu-ray players, but today the company released its lowest-cost Blu-ray player yet in the BDP-80. Successor to the higher-end BDP-83, the new Oppo player eliminates the secondary video processor, 24p DVD upscaling, IR and RS-232 networking ports.

However, for $289 the Oppo BDP-80 does offer BD-Live support with an Ethernet jack, 1 GB of built-in memory, 24p Blu-ray playback, an HDMI 1.3 output, AVCHD H.264-compressed video compatibility, and more.

Panasonic outs VIERA G2 plasmas with 5, 000, 000:1 contrast ratio

Panasonic has announced the VIERA G2 and S2 plasma series in Japan today. The G2 family includes 3 42-inch plasma displays with brown, silver and black bezels, plus 46- and 50-inch displays. With Panasonic's new PDP Black panel, the VIERA G2 series manages a 5, 000, 000:1 dynamic contrast ratio with 1080p resolution. It also includes an ambient light sensor and motion sensors that automatically adjust screen brightness in order to both improve picture quality and save energy.

Connection options include 3 HDMI, 3 composites, an S-video, VGA and D4 input, and 4 RCA slots and an Ethernet port. All the sets also have an SD card slot for playing back AVCHD camcorder video and JPEG photos and are capable of streaming web video content from the acTVila service. Shipping February 5 in Japan, the VIERA G2 series ranges in price from $2400 for the 42-inch display to $3530 for the 50-inch model.

The Viera S2 series includes 42- and 46-inch displays that have similar features to the G2 family but scrap both the VGA connection and the PDP Black display which reduces the S2's contrast ratio to 2, 000, 000:1.

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Xbox Live to get live ESPN sports in 2010?

Oh my gosh! Xbox Live and ESPN together at last. According to a leak in The New York Times today, Microsoft may be soon streaming ESPN through its Xbox Live service. In the article, Microsoft's middle-to-long term growth strategy for Xbox Live is laid out and could include live, interactive games that complement ESPN sports events. The company is said to be in talks with Disney regarding the deal but no other details are available at this time.

Prysm LPD display use 75% less energy than LED HDTVs

This year at the Consumer Electronics Show, LED TVs were all the rage. Really a type of LCD TV, manufacturers have been spinning the term LED to mean a more effective and energy efficient set, and usually that is actually the case (however misleading the marketing). But in the future, LPD could be the initials describing the type of display we watch the Super Bowl on.

Short for laser phosphor display, LPD is the product of San Jose-based Prysm, a startup that appeared out of the woodwork yesterday, but has been around since 2005. LPD displays only use 1/4 of the power LED or LCD displays use, can be manufactured in any size or shape, have higher resolution than LED/LCD and don't suffer from motion blur.

From a technological perspective, LPD displays are similar to CRT TVs. Cathode ray tube TVs have use an electromagnet to to control an electron beam that runs across an electo-sensitive phosphor field. LPD display use a laser that turns on and off as the beam runs across a field of phosphor stripes. However, LPD displays are much more energy efficient.

The company says it'll have more announcements soon, but let's keep on eye on LPD. It could be the future of HDTV.

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Sharp intros quad-pixel LED TVs, pair of Netflix streaming Blu-ray players, and a HTiB

I'm still flipping through CES 2010 home theater coverage on the web and something has really caught my eye tonight. Sharp, one of the world's bigger names in HDTV, didn't spend CES pushing 3D technologies like most of its competitors. Instead Sharp is introducing something called quad-pixel technology, or the addition of yellow to the usual red, green and blue color scheme. Sharp says that the color addition will allow for (surprise, surprise) better rendering of yellow-colored objects.

The new quad-pixel technology will be integrated into all of Sharp's new HDTV lines which include the main LE920, LE820 and LE810 series'. The LE920 series includes a 68-inch (LC-68LE920UN), 60-inch (LC-60LE920UN) and 52-inch (LC-52LE920UN) model. All are 1.6-inch thick 1080p panels with Sharp's UltraBrilliant edge-lit backlighting and feature 240 Hz refresh, a USB media player, Ethernet port, 4 HDMI ports with quick-switching InstaPort technology, RS-232C inputs, and a PC input. The Ethernet jack can be used for Netflix movies, web-based content, and Sharp tech support. Expected to ship in May, the LE920 series has yet to be priced.

The LE820 and LE810 series' include 120 Hz refresh, a 1.6-inch thick form factor and most of the connectivity options found with the LE920 models. Both series' have the same-sized models and the prices are attached.: 60-inch LC-60LE820UN will ship for a suggested price of $3,999.00, while the 60-inch LC-60LE810UN will be priced at $3,499.00. The 52-inch LC-52LE820UN and LC-52LE810UN will be priced at $2,999.00 and $2,599.00, respectively. The 46-inch LC-46LE820UN and the 46-inch LC-46LE810UN will be priced at $2,399.00 and $2,099.00, respectively, while the 40-inch LC-40LE820UN and LC-40LE810UN will be priced at $2,199.00 and $1,799.00, respectively. Both the LE820 and LE810 series models will be available in March.

Sharp also announced the standalone 60-inch LC-60E88UN that isn't backlit but includes Sharp's OPC technology that detects ambient lighting and adjusts the panel's brightness accordingly. The set features 240 Hz refresh, UV2A technology, and 10-bit processing, all targeted at the football fan. According to Sharp, this 60-inch set is built for the Super Bowl and will be shipped in February for an unannounced price.

Finally, the 32-inch LC-32LS510UT and 22-inch LC-22LS510UT round out Sharp's 2010 HDTV offering. Both will have 1080p resolution, a USB jack and a headphone jack. A smaller 19-inch LC-19LS410UT will have the same features but only 720p resolution. All models also feature edge-lit backlighting. The 32-inch model will ship in June, while the 22- and 19-inch models will ship in May. No prices have been announced.

Sharp has announced a pair of Blu-ray players and a 5.1-channel home theater in a box for 2010, as well.

The BD-HP70U and BD-HP24U include Netflix steaming, an Ethernet port, BD-Live, Deep Color HDMI, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio and more. The BD-HP70U also includes a second USB port for attaching a Wi-Fi dongle for connecting to a home wireless network, and an anti-vibration feature that reduces noise and improves picture quality. The BD-HP70U ships in the 2nd quarter for $499.99, while the BD-HP24U will ship in 1st quarter for $279.99.

The 5.1-channel BD-MPC41 supports Blu-ray playback, Netflix movie streaming, iPod and FM radio audio via its included Ethernet port. Three speakers are included in the sound bar which supports Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs and pumps out 1020 Watts of power. Shipping in the 2nd quarter, the BD-MPC41 will cost $749.99.

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Viewsonic jumps on the LED TV bandwagon too

Even Viewsonic is jumping on the LED TV bandwagon this year. At CES 2010, the company introduced four LED TVs including the 18.5-inch VT1900LED, 23-inch VT2300LED, 32-inch VT3200LED and the 42-inch VT4200LED. The 18.5- and 32-inch models feature 720p resolution, a 5 millisecond response time and Energy Star 5.0 certification. The 23- and 42-inch models both feature 1080p resolution, and the larger model also features 120 Hz refresh rate, a 4 millisecond response time and a 100000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

The VT1900LED, VT2300LED and VT3200LED will ship in Q1 2010 for $299, $399 and $599, respectively. The 42-inch VT4200LED will ship in Q2 2010 for $1199.

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Vizio outs 3 mobile TVs you can fit in a backpack

Vizio is making an entrance in to the nascent mobile TV market, not with a cellphone application, but with 3 new mobile Razor LED TVs.

First off is the 10.2-inch VMB100 and 9-inch VMB090 mobile Razor LED TVs. Other than touchscreen size, both are pretty well identical in specifications. LCD panel resolution sits at 800 x 480 resolution with a 350 nit brightness and both have a tuner not only capable of receiving ATSC and NTSC signals, but also ATSC-MH signals. Ports include one HDMI 1.4, composite video, stereo audio, USB 2.0 and a headphone jack. Both mobile TVs are shipping later this year for $229.99 and $199.99, respectively.

The smaller 7-inch VMB070 still fits 800 x 480 pixels on its LCD display although the brightness is 250 nits. Unfortunately, it appears the VMB070 doesn't have the ability to receive ATSC-MH signals, though it does have an ATSC/NTSC tuner. Ports include auxiliary audio and video inputs and a headphone jack. Also shipping later this year, the Vizio VMB070 Razor mobile LED TV will cost $149.99.

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